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We hear a large international football tournament has just kicked off, so what better time to revisit this list, shove a slice of orange in its mouth, and give it a spritz of the ol’ magic spray, hmm? 30 60 years of hurt never stopped us dreaming!
We’ve subbed a few younger players into the squad — which now features Switch 2 players — and many of the games below are on sale right now, to boot. Enjoy! *blows whistle*
Football is the world’s most popular sport, from the elite level of child-like millionaires with dazzling skills and impressive diving techniques, to actual children on playgrounds using jumpers for goalposts.
Being a football/soccer fan who owns a Switch (or Switch 2), however, can be slightly confusing. Nintendo’s system somehow misses out on the ‘Premier’ games while getting bombarded with loads of smaller releases, and it can be hard to know which ones are worth a kickaround.
We haven’t reviewed every football game on Switch 1 and 2, so let’s be upfront and say that some will be missing on this list that may be worth checking out. However, we’ve reviewed enough of them to share a winning 11 (plus five subs) of the better ones here — oh yes, how very clever of us — and there’s plenty of variety to be found. If you want simulation, tactics, comedy, or arcade action, there’ll be something here for you.
So, let’s have a look at the best football games on Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, in alphabetical order. Grab your jumpers, set out your goals, and enjoy!
We kick off with a particularly fun entry, as this was made by critically acclaimed game maker Dan Marshall, who happily admits to knowing nothing about football. So this is ultimately a comedic outsider’s take on the beautiful game, and it’s rather good.
Behold the Kickmen costs less than a cup of coffee and leans heavily on humorous writing and absurdist takes on the rules — the pitch is round, the ball can bounce off the sides, scoring gets you a ‘big sloppy kiss’ from the referee who is called the ‘Umpire’, and much more madness besides. As an inexpensive and silly time, it is definitely worth a look on Switch.
This series is rather popular in Japan, spanning all sorts of media and games for decades; in the West? Not so much. That’s why it was a pleasant surprise to get Captain Tsubasa: Rise Of New Champions last year, and it’s actually a very solid game while being a pretty unique take on the sport.
You can play through a couple of story segments, and there’s Vs CPU and online play after that – though getting online games may prove tricky. It’s a wacky take on football, with all sorts of dodges, combos and stamina bars to pay attention to; this isn’t the typical game of Soccer.
It looks terrific and offers an entertaining time with a completely over-the-top take on the sport.
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Also available on Switch 1, long-time readers will be aware of the love-hate (mainly hate) relationship we’ve had with the FIFA series over the course of the Switch’s life. And for a long time, FIFA 19 has occupied a spot on this list, even if it (and future games) were missing key modes from their counterparts PS4 / PS5 and Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S. You can’t even get them on digital storefronts, now.
However, after years of lazy, half-hearted Legacy Editions, EA Sports finally delivered a football game on the Switch that offers full feature parity with other consoles. A much-needed engine upgrade trades frame rate for fidelity, but starting with EA Sports FC 24, Switch owners finally had a port they can be proud of, rather than feeling like an afterthought.
Every single feature is here, and even though there’s an fps drop from 60 to 30, we at last had a triple-A football game to kick off with on Switch. The latest version, EA SPORTS FC 26 is the pick of the bunch, but 24, 25, and 26 all play a beautiful game.
Infused with flickers of Konami’s old Pro Evolution Soccer magic, you could do a lot worse than eFootball Kick-Off if you’re looking for an offline, single-player (or co-op) football game on Switch 2. This particular ‘Kick-Off version is a Switch 2 exclusive, in fact.
Its World Tour mode is relatively light, but it’s fun enough, and the game’s budget price point matches its ambition – though this targets 60fps compared to EA’s 30.
With any luck, this will only be the starting point for eFootball’s presence on Switch 2, and Konami will hopefully follow this up with a more fully-featured game, or a straight crossplay-enabled port of the main free-to-play live service title.
Judged on its own merits, though, as it stands, only EA Sports FC offers better (albeit less smooth) football gameplay on Switch 2.
Football Manager is responsible for many lost jobs, flunked degrees, and failed relationships; never has a glorified spreadsheet been so enthralling and addictive. There are probably therapy groups for those who have sunk thousands of hours into the series, carefully crafting mighty squads to take Newport County AFC to Champions League glory.
The Switch versions of the tactical sim series are based on the ‘Touch’ titles initially released for phones and tablets. Some actually prefer this semi-skimmed version of the series, as it strips away a little of the complexity of the full-fat main games. It’s still detailed enough while arguably taking the series closer to the simpler times of the ‘Championship Manager’ days, and is a great way to pass time on the Switch.
If you can figure out the quirky physical controls, along with how to get your 4-3-2-1 formation humming, you can sink plenty of hours into Football Manager 2026 Touch.
Football Managers 2018, ’19, ’20, ’21, ’22, ’23, and 2024 Touch were once available on Switch, but only 2026 is available at the time of writing (the last one we reviewed was ’24).
Golazo! is definitely one for those with nostalgia for the classics of the ’90s; this game is literally set in 1992. You choose from international teams and compete across a few modes, with the options keeping things relatively simple.
It’s bonkers in its way, though, with unlockables including bizarre customisation options for players. It’s very coin-op and arcade-style in terms of gameplay, is particularly fun in multiplayer and has a ‘VHS’ filter for that authentic ’90s look.
Not perfect but a good time, albeit the bizarre absence of Scotland among the playable teams irritated our reviewer, for obvious reasons…
Having more content does not necessarily equal a better game, but there’s no denying that Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road’s massive wealth of modes, options, and gameplay variety make it feel like the franchise’s most premium experience yet.
Between a fun and heartfelt story mode, a second story mode that includes the highlights of all previous games, and a bunch of additional side content along with robust PvP systems for longevity, it really does feel like you could play Victory Road forever.
At the end of the day, though, it all comes down to that core loop of teambuilding and playing football matches, and Victory Road’s take on the series’ trademark RPG-esque customisability and intuitive action on the pitch feels just as fresh and stylish as ever.
Proving that there’s little that the portly plumber can’t turn his hand (or foot) to, Next Level Games’ Mario Smash Football (or Super Mario Strikers in the US) offered solid soccer action in a colourful package with Mushroom Kingdom residents brightening up the beautiful game and adding a little flair and excitement to proceedings – no nil-nil draws here!
The polar opposite of the simulation style that ‘proper’ football games were going for, this is a fast-paced five-a-side frenzy that did well enough to get a similarly satisfying sequel on Wii.
Now playable on Switch 2 if you’ve got a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription, it’s a great alternative if Mario Strikers: Battle League is too rich for your blood. And here’s a fun fact: it started out life as a soccer-platformer hybrid in the prototype stage.
